For many years, Unity and Unreal have reigned supreme in the world of game creation, powering roughly seventy percent of the titles that appeared on Steam in 2025. While the open‑source Godot engine has enjoyed a surge in popularity recently, the majority of large studios still lean on proprietary solutions—Capcom’s RE Engine being a prime example. In short, the engine market has long been dominated by the two giants. Enter Immersive’s founders—Arjan Brussee, Sjoerd De Jong, and Michal Valient—three industry veterans who believe there is still space for a fresh, competitive engine.
Their résumés read like a who’s‑who of gaming pedigree: experience at Epic Games (the creators of Unreal), Guerrilla Games, Boss Key, and even Apple. United by a shared conviction, they are setting out to challenge the status quo.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Brussee explained that the timing feels right for a new engine, noting, “A couple of years ago this simply didn’t exist. With AI‑assisted programming we can start building from the ground up again.” He argues that AI can provide the scaffolding needed to deliver full‑featured tools quickly, while still giving developers granular control. Valient, Immens’s chief technology officer, is quick to clarify that the AI they employ is not the “prompt‑to‑image” hype that dominates headlines. Instead, the AI is woven into the engine’s architecture to make it highly extensible.
“If we design the codebase with AI in mind, even a solo developer can add a custom particle system or a bespoke gameplay mechanic without wrestling with opaque scripting layers,” he says. The goal is to let creators harness AI to accelerate extensions, not to replace the creative process. The motivation behind this AI‑centric engine is rooted in the current economic climate of game development. Brussee describes the environment as “rough,” emphasizing that production budgets are ballooning and the risk of failure is higher than ever.
“We need new ways of working that lower costs and let smaller teams ship games faster, without jeopardising their livelihood,” he asserts. De Jong, Immens’s chief product officer, points out that the engine market has become overly standardized and consolidated.
While that consolidation has provided a solid foundation, it also stifles innovation. “The industry faces many challenges, and simply repeating the old formula isn’t enough.
We need genuine innovation, not more of the same,” he argues. He also criticizes the monolithic nature of existing engines, which force developers to conform to proprietary file formats and rigid workflows. With AI, Immens aims to deliver a malleable platform that adapts to each project’s unique needs. Flexibility is a recurring theme.
De Jong envisions a system where developers can swap components, append new modules, and craft tailor‑made tools that match their personal workflows. “Imagine a toolset that mirrors my own background—exact shortcuts, interfaces, and features—so my team can work exactly the way we want,” he says. Valient acknowledges AI’s double‑edged nature. While it is “really powerful,” it can also veer off course if left unchecked.
Immens therefore emphasizes transparency and control: users can see what the engine is doing, track its decision history, and ensure repeatable results. This visibility allows developers to create disposable, high‑speed workflows—like generating five uniquely‑traited characters over a coffee break—that would have previously taken weeks and substantial budgets. The architecture of Immens is deliberately agnostic. It does not impose a single workflow; instead, it offers a framework that lets teams decide how much AI to integrate and where.
De Jong stresses the importance of the AI understanding the developer’s intent, which hinges on clear, open standards. “When files are text‑based, any tool can read them. AI can parse those files and act on them.
Open standards let us plug in Blender, Maya, or any generative tool without a painful translation layer,” Brussee explains. This openness, he believes, is a missing piece in many proprietary engines. The broader conversation around AI in games is polarized. Some commentators on LinkedIn hype a future where a single prompt could spawn a Grand Theft Auto‑level experience, fueling fear and backlash.
Immens’s team tempers those extremes. While they acknowledge that “click‑to‑game” engines might one day exist, they view AI primarily as an accelerator for human creativity. “AI makes everyone better; it’s a tool, not a replacement,” Valient notes.
De Jong adds a note of responsibility: “Any technology can be misused, but it’s up to us to apply it responsibly.” Economic anxieties also swirl around AI, with critics warning of a bubble of over‑valued startups. Valient draws a parallel to the dot‑com era, noting that while many companies vanished, the underlying internet persisted and thrived. “We’re focused on building a solid engine. AI helps us iterate faster and dream bigger.
Whether it’s a bubble or not, we can’t predict the future, but we can build something that stands on its own merits.” Funding remains modest. Immens has secured its “first commitments” but has not disclosed exact figures, describing the amount as “reasonable.” Brussee warns against excessive capital, saying it can breed complacency. “Startups need to stay scrappy; too much money can make you lazy.” The team currently consists of the three founders plus a handful of helpers, a deliberately lean structure designed to foster rapid decision‑making. Balancing team size with ambition is a delicate act.
De Jong explains that building an engine is a complex undertaking that cannot be solved by simply hiring a thousand engineers. “You need a small, focused group to make thoughtful decisions and iterate,” he says. At the same time, there is a narrow window of opportunity as AI reshapes the industry, and Immens aims to seize that moment without over‑extending its resources. A proof‑of‑concept demo showcasing generative AI‑driven editing is slated for release this month.
The timeline has already outpaced the founders’ original expectations: what was projected to take until year‑end is now arriving in half that time. Brussee attributes this acceleration to the very AI tools they are building.
The business model is still under discussion. While Immens admires Epic Games’ philosophy of “we succeed when you succeed,” they admit it’s too early to formalize pricing or revenue‑share structures.
Ultimately, the founders hope their engine will empower creators to push artistic boundaries, take risks, and deliver innovative experiences. “We love games and want to see more daring, creative work.
If our technology can help make that happen, that would be amazing,” Brussee concludes.